1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to communication systems, and more particularly, to provide a channel access protocol for use in a directional communication network.
2. Introduction
In order to address the issue of increasing bandwidth requirements that are demanded for wireless communications systems, different schemes are being developed to allow multiple user terminals to communicate by sharing the channel resources while achieving high data throughputs. Multiple Input or Multiple Output (MIMO) technology represents one such approach that has recently emerged as a popular technique for the next generation communication systems. MIMO technology has been adopted in several emerging wireless communications standards such as the Institute of Electrical Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard.
Generally, wireless communications systems specified by the IEEE 802.11 standard have a central entity, such as an access point (AP)/point coordination function (PCF) that manages communications between different devices, also called stations (STAs). By contrast, a directionally based communications system may use a decentralized communications structure.
Further, a decentralized system using directional communications may experience issues associated with channel access, blindness, scheduling management, and the like. As such, a method and apparatus for providing provide a channel access protocol for use in a directional communication network is desired.